MSC Orchestra Cruise

Last year we went on our first cruise to the Greek Isles, Croatia and Italy. It was an amazing experience and we just loved traveling on a ship. Traveling with a toddler is not easy but being able to see so much and not have to lug all your bags around every destination is HUGE! We have been wanting to explore Norway and when I saw a deal on another MSC cruise, we just had to book it!

I know there are a lot of MSC haters on the internet cruise forums but we really enjoy this cruise line. Yes, we haven't cruised with anyone else but we have no complaints with them. The rooms are comfortable and the food is great. They have lots of activities on the ship AND (something new) they have childcare for kids under 3 for FREE. We didn't know about it till the last day but Rob and I got to enjoy Bingo for an hour alone while Rand got to play in a room full of Chicco toys and also an hour of dinner later that evening. Chicco sponsors the little kid's activities so you will see Chicco toys and baby gear everywhere. You can also borrow Chicco baby gear (strollers, carriers, etc) while on the cruise. MSC is VERY children friendly and has tons of activities for any age.

Our cruise left on a Saturday out of Kiel, Germany which is an 8 hour drive away. We left 2 days early to explore Northern Germany in Kiel and Hamburg.

While we were on our cruise, I booked ahead of time at Port Parking and we literally parked right next to our cruise ship. We were able to drop off our bags and start the check in process which went pretty smoothly.

~ Our Route ~

~ Our Ship ~

Venice, Italy

Ah... Venice!

Being a HUGE Indiana Jones fan... this clip always comes to mind when I think of Venice so I just had to post it ;) 

We have been to Venice before so we wanted to visit other sites we did not get to see in our last trip. 

Rand kept crawling into his stroller and insisted on 

wearing only this hat.

 When we ported into Venice, we had to jump on a ferry to get into Saint Mark's Square.

St Maria of Salute Basilica 

St. Mark's Square

Rand super excited to be in Venice!

Roaming around St, Mark's Square 

Torre dell'Orologio

Doges' Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

throw pic in front of Saint Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) 

the boys fast asleep

no fire trucks in Venice... just men with a ladder

  Arrivederci Venezia!

Dubrovnik, Croatia

After porting into Dubrovnik, we boarded a bus and arrived just outside the city walls. We honestly couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Dubrovnik is so beautiful and stepping into this walled city really takes you back in time. 

  

As soon as we walked into the city, we headed straight to the city walls to take a lap around the beautiful ancient city. I am glad we did this first because it got packed and very hot an hour or so after.

 On our way up the cable car to look over Dubrovnik.

 After the cable car ride, we headed back into Old Town and walked and shopped in the market square.

While we were enjoying our lunch, we got to experience what it felt like to be in the movie The Birds.

Leaving Croatia and enjoying the beautiful sunset 

on our way to Venice.